Writer of books for Young Adults and Kids

Being Here

Published February 2011

There are stories buried within me. One in particular. It's about a boy and a girl. It's about the power of imagination. It's about love.

Description

When Leah Cartwright was five years old her father went to the barn, put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Soon afterwards a boy appeared to Leah, in a tree in the orchard – an imaginary friend. Leah called him Adam. And she grew to love him... As a child on an isolated farm with only her fierce yet loving mother and her dog, Pagan, for company, Leah treasured books and characters and the stories within them – the places they could take her.

Now she is old, and a gifted storyteller, so when 16-year-old Carly interviews her for her local history project, Leah draws Carly in – to her present and her past – with the magic of story. Being Here is a beautifully told novel about a grim reality and a rich imagination, about hope, faith and consequences. It’s the story of Leah – and Adam, the one true love of her life.

Awards:

The Author Says

The idea of a story involving a tulpa had been in my head for quite some time. A tulpa isa fascinating thing; I heard about them when I read of certain travellers’ experiences inthe Himalayas. Many reported that they felt they were not alone in the snowy wildernessand a few even reported seeing figures walking with them. But it was Alexandra Neil’smemoirs about creating a tulpa that I found particularly interesting. She managed tocreate a thought form – a personal hallucination – through the powers of concentrationalone.

What was more interesting, however, was that others could see what sheimagined. I liked this idea – it is close, for example, to the creative process whereby thewriter imagines a world and brings it into being so others can experience it. I decided Iwanted to write a book about books, about stories, about imaginary friends who becomereal. And a love story, since I hadn’t written one before…

I must confess that I think Being Here is the best thing I've written [yet]. It's very different from my other books and I like to try different approaches. It is also the 'cleanest' book I've written - in other words, the first draft [which I finished in October 2009] is very similar to the final copy that is about to come out. I was very careful with the writing and I think that care has paid off. Still, we'll see what readers have to say. I hope they have plenty to say!

What's an eleven-year-old boy to do when an ugly dog called Blacky appears on his bed and tells him he has been given the mission to rescue God? This is a 'fast and funny book' from CBCA-shortlisted author Barry Jonsberg.